Sunday, February 10

The eldest Mini-Minnie, in one of our favorite wintery neo-Victorian looks:

Top, skirt, and tights by Hanna Andersson

Shoes by Naturalizer, found on eBay

Jacket by Monsoon, found on eBay

The jacket is not really light blue, as it looks in these photos, but more of a light slate. A lovely blue-grey velveteen with satiny trim.

Cute and comfortable and so practical. I would love dressing my Mini-Minnies in pseudo-Steampunk clothes all the time, because those looks are just so darned adorable. But even more important to me is my daughters enjoying what they wear--liking the clothes themselves, and feeling the freedom to play and be little girls in whatever they have on. Esp. this one won't be a little girl for too much longer--so this outfit not only manages perfectly to bridge the stylistic gap between girlhood and being a young lady, but is something she can truly be herself in. And that last is the ideal of my Real World Steampunk wardrobe--whether for myself or my Mini-Minnies.

A Note from Minnie Zephie

I used to write about Steampunk on my home blog, but recently decided to give those posts their own special place. In my mind, this blog is like that big old dusty steamer trunk in a grandmother's walk-up attic, shabby and well-used, housing tattered finery and any number of odd bits and pieces. It feels a little secret, a little melancholy, but mostly exhilarating, and opening the trunk wide is like opening a door to an equally musty and unused spot in one's imagination. My other blog is where I live. This blog is where I escape.